In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Isaiah 40:3
Officiant Lord,
open our lips.
People And
our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Alleluia.
Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands; *
serve the
Lord with gladness
and come before his presence with a song.
Know this: The Lord himself is God; *
he himself has
made us, and we are his;
we are his people and the sheep of his
pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts
with praise; *
give thanks to him and call upon his Name.
For the Lord is good;
his mercy is everlasting; *
and
his faithfulness endures from age to age.
I will exalt you, O LORD,
because you have lifted me
up *
and have not let my enemies triumph over me.
O LORD my God, I cried out to you, *
and you restored
me to health.
You brought me up, O LORD, from the dead; *
you
restored my life as I was going down to the grave.
Sing to the LORD, you servants of his; *
give thanks
for the remembrance of his holiness.
For his wrath endures but the twinkling of an eye, *
his
favor for a lifetime.
Weeping may spend the night, *
but joy comes in the
morning.
While I felt secure, I said,
“I shall never be
disturbed. *
You, LORD, with your favor, made me as strong as the
mountains.”
Then you hid your face, *
and I was filled with fear.
I cried to you, O LORD; *
I pleaded with the Lord,
saying,
“What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to
the Pit? *
will the dust praise you or declare your faithfulness?
Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me; *
O LORD, be my
helper.”
You have turned my wailing into dancing; *
you have
put off my sack-cloth and clothed me with joy.
Therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing; *
O
LORD my God, I will give you thanks for ever.
Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven, *
and
whose sin is put away!
Happy are they to whom the LORD imputes no guilt, *
and
in whose spirit there is no guile!
While I held my tongue, my bones withered away,
*
because of my groaning all day long.
For your hand was heavy upon me day and night; *
my
moisture was dried up as in the heat of summer.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you, *
and did not
conceal my guilt.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the
LORD.” *
Then you forgave me the guilt of my sin.
Therefore all the faithful will make their prayers to
you in time of trouble; *
when the great waters overflow, they
shall not reach them.
You are my hiding-place;
you preserve me from
trouble; *
you surround me with shouts of deliverance.
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way that
you should go; *
I will guide you with my eye.
Do not be like horse or mule, which have no
understanding; *
who must be fitted with bit and bridle,
or
else they will not stay near you.”
Great are the tribulations of the wicked; *
but mercy
embraces those who trust in the LORD.
Be glad, you righteous, and rejoice in the LORD; *
shout
for joy, all who are true of heart.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
A Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.
Then the LORD said to me, Take a large tablet and write on it in common characters, “Belonging to Maher-shalal-hash-baz,” and have it attested for me by reliable witnesses, the priest Uriah and Zechariah son of Jeberechiah. And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the LORD said to me, Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz; for before the child knows how to call “My father” or “My mother,” the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away by the king of Assyria. The LORD spoke to me again: Because this people has refused the waters of Shiloah that flow gently, and melt in fear before Rezin and the son of Remaliah; therefore, the Lord is bringing up against it the mighty flood waters of the River, the king of Assyria and all his glory; it will rise above all its channels and overflow all its banks; it will sweep on into Judah as a flood, and, pouring over, it will reach up to the neck; and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.
Band together, you peoples, and be dismayed; listen, all you far countries; gird yourselves and be dismayed; gird yourselves and be dismayed! Take counsel together, but it shall be brought to naught; speak a word, but it will not stand, for God is with us. For the LORD spoke thus to me while his hand was strong upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what it fears, or be in dread. But the LORD of hosts, him you shall regard as holy; let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. He will become a sanctuary, a stone one strikes against; for both houses of Israel he will become a rock one stumbles over—a trap and a snare for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble; they shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.
The Word of the
Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Glorify the Lord, all you works of the Lord, *
praise
him and highly exalt him for ever.
In the firmament of his power, glorify the Lord,
*
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, you angels and all powers of the Lord,
*
O heavens and all waters above the heavens.
Sun and moon and stars of the sky, glorify the Lord,
*
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, every shower of rain and fall of dew,
*
all winds and fire and heat.
Winter and Summer, glorify the Lord, *
praise him and
highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O chill and cold, *
drops of dew
and flakes of snow
Frost and cold, ice and sleet, glorify the Lord,
*
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O nights and days, *
O shining
light and enfolding dark.
Storm clouds and thunderbolts, glorify the Lord,
*
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Let the earth glorify the Lord, *
praise him and
highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O mountains and hills,
and all that
grows upon the earth, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O springs of water, seas, and streams,
*
O whales and all that move in the waters.
All birds of the air, glorify the Lord, *
praise him
and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O beasts of the wild, *
and all you
flocks and herds.
O men and women everywhere, glorify the Lord, *
praise
him and highly exalt him for ever.
Let the people of God glorify the Lord, *
praise him
and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O priests and servants of the Lord,
*
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O spirits and souls of the righteous,
*
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
You that are holy and humble of heart, glorify the Lord,
*
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Let us glorify the Lord: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
*
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
In the firmament of his power, glorify the Lord,
*
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
A Reading from the Second Letter to the Thessalonians.
Now we command you, beloved, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness and not according to the tradition that they received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, and we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for it; but with toil and labor we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you. This was not because we do not have that right, but in order to give you an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right. Take note of those who do not obey what we say in this letter; have nothing to do with them, so that they may be ashamed. Do not regard them as enemies, but warn them as believers.
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with all of you. I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the mark in every letter of mine; it is the way I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.
The Word of the
Lord.
Thanks be to God.
O ruler of the universe, Lord God,
great deeds are
they that you have done, *
surpassing human understanding.
Your ways are ways of righteousness and truth, *
O
King of all the ages.
Who can fail to do you homage, Lord,
and sing the
praises of your Name? *
for you only are the Holy One.
All nations will draw near and fall down before you,
*
because your just and holy works have been revealed.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
I believe in God, the Father
almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus
Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of
the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered
under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He
descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He
ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the
Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I
believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the
communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the
resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
Officiant The
Lord be with you.
People And
also with you.
Officiant Let
us pray.
Our Father, who art in
heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will
be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our
daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive
those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into
temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the
kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
V. Save
your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance;
R. Govern
and uphold them, now and always.
V. Day
by day we bless you;
R. We
praise your name for ever.
V. Lord,
keep us from all sin today;
R. Have
mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.
V. Lord,
show us your love and mercy;
R. For
we put our trust in you.
V. In
you, Lord, is our hope;
R. And
we shall never hope in vain.
Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Almighty God, who after the creation of the world rested from all your works and sanctified a day of rest for all your creatures: Grant that we, putting away all earthly anxieties, may be duly prepared for the service of your sanctuary, and that our rest here upon earth may be a preparation for the eternal rest promised to your people in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray now for our own needs and those of others.
Almighty God, Father of
all mercies,
we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks
for
all your goodness and loving-kindness
to us and to all whom you
have made.
We bless you for our creation, preservation,
and all
the blessings of this life;
but above all for your immeasurable
love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for
the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And, we pray, give us such
an awareness of your mercies,
that with truly thankful hearts we
may show forth your praise,
not only with our lips, but in our
lives,
by giving up our selves to your service,
and by walking
before you
in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through
Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit,
be
honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.
Let us bless the
Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.
2 Corinthians 13:14